


Aftershock

by KeytoMyCity



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: After Castrovalva, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-05-17
Packaged: 2018-03-30 23:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3955573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeytoMyCity/pseuds/KeytoMyCity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The TARDIS crew, after the events of Castrovalva, return to the ship bedraggled and tired, but none so much as Adric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftershock

**Author's Note:**

> The plot bunny for this was born from listening to Peter Davison reading the Castrovalva audiobook.

The console room was silent as the Doctor rushed around to get them off the planet Castrovalva had resided on. His coat was fluttering around him in his activity. Tegan and Nyssa both were watching him closely making sure his regeneration was stable. Adric however was sliding down the wall next to the doors in exhaustion. His clothes were singed at the ends and his complexion was still pale.

The days under the Master's control were grueling. The physical torture that was the electricity to keep him in check had left him with aftershocks. The psychological torture of almost killing his friends was starting to get to him. He hadn't eaten or drank anything for days. After all that was done he had to run all the way to the TARDIS for safety. He had no strength to make it back to his room.

'I might as well rest here. I know I'll be safe with the Doctor nearby,' he thought as his eyes slid shut.

~

The Doctor didn't notice that Adric had fallen asleep next to the doors, as he addressed the girls. “Now that we are on our way I think it's time to relax a bit.”

Nyssa, ever the scientist, looked the Doctor up and down. “Are you sure your regeneration is stable now?”

“Absolutely.”

“We don't want anymore surprises, Doctor.” Tegan added, as she brushed off the leaves on her stewardess outfit.

“Neither do I.” The Doctor looked at his bedraggled companions. Nyssa's maroon tunic had mud in certain places, Tegan's purple stewardess dress had burs and leaves tangled in the skirt, and Adric's yellow and green tunic hung off him even as he reclined against the wall. His eyes looked over the boy only just now realizing he was passed out. “Adric?”

The girls turned and look at the boy as the Doctor walked the few paces towards him and knelt on the ground to look him over. He put two fingers to the pulse point on his neck, waited a moment, and feeling the thrumming heartbeat underneath calmed the worry that was starting to build. As the Doctor moved his hand away the boy's body trembled slightly then stopped.

“Is he alive Doctor?” Tegan asked, she couldn't really tell if his chest was moving to indicate that he was breathing.

“Yes, he probably passed out due to exhaustion. I'll take him to his room.” The Doctor slid his hands underneath Adric's limp form and lifted him up. He stood and turned towards the hallway doors. “He'll be okay with some rest. His people heal quite quickly.”

With that the Doctor left.

“If Adric causes the Doctor's regeneration to have problems again, I swear.” Tegan grumbled.

Nyssa sent her a look, “Adric didn't mean to do anything. He was being controlled.”

Tegan shrugged, “I'm going to go change, I feel like a forest.”

“I might as well clean up as well.” Nyssa responded as she walked towards the TARDIS bathroom and Tegan headed towards her room.

~

The Doctor had carried Adric to his room and settled him on his twin bed. It was clear to the Doctor that the boy had lost a bit of weight from the whole incident. He wondered what exactly the Master did to the boy while he was captured, but he wouldn't find out until he awoke. The Doctor pulled off Adric's shoes, set them on the ground next to the bed, and moved his legs underneath the blankets. He tucked the blankets in around Adric's torso before he left the room and as he was about to turn off the light, he looked over the boy one more time. His chest rose and fell comforting the older male and with that he left to get his own rest.

~

It was hours later when Adric awoke covered in a cold sweat. His dreams were filled with the Master forcing him to kill the Doctor over and over again, all the while shocking him into submission. He sat up quickly looking around to realize that he was in his room on TARDIS. He breathed a quick sigh of relief, 'I'm home and I'm safe.'

He sat for a moment longer listening to the quiet hum of the TARDIS engines. The sound was comforting.

Adric slid himself out of his bed, and forgoing his shoes made his way to the TARDIS medbay. He'd hopefully discover that the electricity didn't affect his healing too bad. Normally by now he would've recovered, but he still felt sore and tired.

The TARDIS medbay was a plain white room. There was a bed in the center, a small table next to it, and tools lined the walls. Several scanners whirred and beeped quietly. Adric grabbed a nearby scanner and sat himself on the bed. Running the scanner along his body, he noted that the TARDIS was still silent. The scanner beeped and he looked at the display. 'Minor exhaustion, minor electrical burns, minor starvation, dehydration and forced contraction of muscles,' it read. 

“I could've told it that,” he mumbled. He put the scanner on the bed next to him. He debated his next move, he couldn't decide if he'd rather just go back to sleep or go find sustenance. His decision was soon made for him when the doors opened.

~

The Doctor had slept, but feeling a bit anxious caused his sleep to be disrupted.

He left his room to go check on his companions. Something he hadn't done while Romana had been aboard because she was Romana and if anyone needed to be checked on it was him. He first went to check on Nyssa, he had heard her cry once or twice after the destruction of Traken, but tonight she was silent. He didn't look in on those times, but since it was quiet he peeked in, and saw her head of curls resting upon her pillow. She looked ever the princess even in sleep. He closed the door quietly.

The door next to her's was Tegan's. Her habits were unknown, but it was quiet. He looked in to see the blankets on the floor next to the bed and Tegan spread eagle among the sheets. He chuckled to himself, a brash way of living, a brash way of sleeping. He shouldn't have expected anything different from her. He closed the door and continued on his walk.

When the Doctor arrived at Adric's room, he noted the unusual silence. Adric was a noisy sleeper. Whether it was the sound of tossing and turning, snoring, or even the mutterings of mathematical equations, Adric was rarely quiet. He wanted to put it off as he had passed out rather than fell asleep, either way he was going to look into the room. To his surprise, Adric was nowhere to be seen. His bed was rumpled, so Adric had been there. Where was the young boy now?

“Adric?” The Doctor called out just in case the boy was in the nearby closet.

He received no response.

With a frown the Doctor shut the door. He had hoped Adric would have slept longer considering the ordeal he went through. He tried to think like the boy. If he was an injured young Alzarian where would he go? Probably to make sure he was healing properly. Or at least that's what the Doctor would do. Either way he'd probably want food because Adric loved to eat, so as he headed towards the medbay he grabbed some food.

Now carrying a tray of bread, cheese, and water, he went over to the medbay. Opening the doors he noticed Adric deep in thought. “Don't think too hard.” He set the tray on the small table.

“Oh, hi Doctor,” Adric replied looking up at the man.

“Did you look yourself over with a scanner?” The Doctor grabbed the scanner that was still lit up with the results. “Electrical burns? Did that happen when that man jumped into the web?”

Adric had grabbed a piece of bread off the tray, “Some, most came from the Master.”

The Doctor turned his attention to Adric again. “What?”

“The Master used electricity to make me bend to his will.” He didn't really want to speak of this now, but knowing the Doctor as he did he probably wouldn't let it drop.

“Did he do anything else?” A frown had appeared on the Doctor's face, marring the boyish features.

Adric sighed, taking a bite of the bread to give himself a moment longer before he had to respond. “He made me lock the coordinates of the TARDIS to send you guys into the implosion. He also forced me to make Castrovalva to be a trap for you. While he was forcing me to kill you, he was trying to make me join him. I watched as you guys flew into the implosion. I thought you were dead and gone, and I had lost another home. He made me watch everything he made me do to you. All the while reminding me that I was the one who was causing it.”

The Doctor looked at his young companion in dread. He really shouldn't have left him alone after he put him to bed.

“I'm so sorry, Adric. I should've remembered you earlier. If I did maybe you wouldn't have had to go through all this?” The Doctor started pacing.

“It's not your fault Doctor, the Master is insane, if he didn't get me then he would've gotten me later, and maybe you really would've died. Who knows? I really don't want to think about it any further.” Adric was getting dizzy watching the Doctor go back and forth.

“Okay, fine. Finish the food, and I'll help you back to your room afterwards.” The Doctor said sitting down next to Adric on the small bed.

They sat in silence for several minutes while Adric went about and ate everything on the tray. He really was starving and he was quite thirsty. As soon as he was finished, he looked to the other, “I don't blame you Doctor. None of this was your fault. If it was anyone's it was mine. I should have never tried to work out the block transfer computation, and then not only that I bragged about it.”

“If you don't blame me, don't blame yourself either or else we'll spend eternity blaming ourselves.” The Doctor stood up and held out his hand to help Adric up. “Now enough pity, it's time for the young Alzarian to sleep once again.”

Adric rolled his eyes, but took the offered hand and pull himself up. They left the medbay together and walked down the hall towards the bedrooms. Once they got to Adric's room the Doctor looked at him again. “See you when you awake Adric, and remember if you need anything you know where to find me.”

Adric gave a small smile, “I know, thank you for everything.”

The boy went into his room shutting the door behind him, leaving the Doctor alone once again. As the Doctor walked away he murmured, “I should be thanking you for traveling with me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Once again had to end on a cheesy note. I can't help it seems.


End file.
